Here I am with another domestic sales recap, beginning the final quarter of results for 2023!
October’s numbers are in from industry tracking firm Circana, who revealed the winners of last month’s big battle for supremacy during the year’s busiest time for new game releases.
Despite all the premium software launches, total spending across the U.S. declined 5% in October to just over $4 billion. All of the three major segments of Content, Hardware and Accessories saw lower sales, with Hardware suffering the worst loss over 20%.
That said, 2023’s annual spend remains trending upwards as each category is pointing towards growth rates in the single digits.
The main reason behind October having lower spending, which I apologize for not pointing out last month, was Call of Duty launched last October while this year’s title didn’t hit until November. This led to a strong October 2022, and a difficult comparison against which last month had to contend.
“Growth in physical console software and mobile spending was offset by declines in other areas,” said Circana’s Mat Piscatella. “Particularly digital premium downloads driven by the release date shift of Call of Duty.”
There were still plenty of success stories. October had nine new titles among the Top 20 premium best sellers list, six of which settled within the Top 10. All of them within existing franchises, mind you, as is often the case in a world of brands and sequels.
The biggest among them being Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 which swung a victory as the month’s top earning game, experiencing a notable boost from leading on physical sales in particular. Congrats to everyone who participated in my poll and voted for Sony’s latest blockbuster hit!
It follows that Super Mario Bros. Wonder came in second place, with the usual caveat that Nintendo doesn’t share digital sales here for its published titles.
Supported by the system-seller that is a new Spider-Man game, Sony’s PlayStation 5 again led the Hardware segment. As it has most months this year except for May, trending towards winning 2023 overall in a fully-supplied environment.
Scroll down to get right into October’s data and lists, then my predictions for November.
United States Games Industry Sales (October 1st to October 28th, 2023)
Overall, consumers spent $4.04 billion across gaming in the U.S. during October, or 5% less than last year’s $4.27 billion. This lack of growth, despite all the great starts for software and healthy console dynamics, displays the power of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launching in last year’s corresponding period. It’s truly a rising tide that lifts all boats.
This latest sales number means 2023 is now tracking up 2%, towards $43.42 billion.
As the largest contributing segment, Video Game Content moved down 4% in October to $3.56 billion. It made up 88% of spending, compared to 86% a year back. Circana attributed it partially to lower downloaded games, even as physical console and mobile gained.
The Content category, which includes software, add-ons and subscriptions, is trending up 1% year-to-date to $37.64 billion.
Mobile was one of the bright spots, a trend we haven’t seen much in 2023. Spending in this area rose 2%, with the report highlighting a consistency among the top games and a notable jump for Clash of Clans back into the Top 10. October’s biggest mobile earners were, in order: MONOPOLY GO!, Royal Match, Roblox, Candy Crush Saga and Pokémon GO.
A variety of new launches bolstered premium software, more than I can remember compared to any month this year.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 web-launched above all others during its impressive debut, with launch month sales This year’s Insomniac Games’ open world comic adventure is already the 4th top seller of 2023 even with less than a month of tracking, a monumental win for Sony’s first party that benefited from huge physical sales and a higher price point.
Here’s where Super Mario Bros. Wonder slotted, in 2nd on the overall list and the leader of Nintendo Switch as a platform. It just missed the Top 20 for 2023 to date, at numero 21. Being the first 2D Mario title in over a decade, it’s hard to make legit comparisons for the domestic charts. So I’ll use Switch titles instead. Both Super Mario Odyssey and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe reached third during their respective debuts.
Rounding out the Top 3 was Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which continued as a quiet seller echoing recent announcements from Ubisoft on its successful start. Even as a more focused, lower-priced title than its recent predecessors. It began one spot below Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which debuted in 2nd during November 2020, and the same position as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in 2018.
Next up for new titles were two annual sports releases in UFC 5 and NHL 24 scoring 7th and 8th, respectively. This means Electronic Arts published four of the Top 8 titles, echoing its live service and ongoing game narrative.
Sega’s Sonic Superstars landed next at #9. For comparison, Sonic Frontiers sped to 4th last November. Beyond the Top 10, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 from Konami reached #12, Xbox’s Forza Motorsport reboot finished in 17th and CI Games’ Lords of the Fallen snuck on the list at #20.
You may notice one critical darling that’s missing from October. As I anticipated, Alan Wake 2 didn’t chart. The reasoning is pretty clear. Remedy Entertainment’s latest didn’t have a retail release and publisher Epic Games does not share digital sales. Meaning none of its sales were even counted in this context, thus it’s not comparable to more traditional software starts.
Moving briefly to the annual list right now, the Top 3 remained constant: Hogwarts Legacy, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Madden NFL 24. Then there’s the only new entry in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, knocking Mario Kart 8 out of the Top 20 for the first time all year.
Check below for October’s aggregate premium rankings and 2023 so far.
Top-Selling Games of October 2023, U.S., All Platforms (Physical & Digital Dollar Sales):
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder*
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage
- Madden NFL 24
- EA Sports FC 24
- Mortal Kombat 1
- UFC 5
- NHL 24
- Sonic Superstars
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1
- NBA 2K24*
- Starfield
- Elden Ring
- The Crew Motorfest
- Forza Motorsport
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
- Minecraft
- Lords of the Fallen
Top-Selling Games of 2023 So Far, U.S., All Platforms (Physical & Digital Dollar Sales):
- Hogwarts Legacy
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom*
- Madden NFL 24
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Diablo IV
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Starfield
- Resident Evil 4 Remake
- MLB: The Show 23^
- EA Sports FC 24
- Dead Island 2
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Street Fighter 6
- FIFA 23
- Elden Ring
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
- Remnant II
- Dead Space Remake
Video Game Hardware took the biggest hit of all major segments in October, moving down 23% to $327 million. I don’t see this as a major story, just a move from one month to the next. So many folks picked up new consoles to play Call of Duty in October 2022, with comparable system sales shifting into November this year.
In stark comparison to the monthly figure, Hardware has grown the most through the first ten months of the year, up 6% to $4.03 billion.
The month’s best-selling console again went to PlayStation 5, as measured by both units sold and revenue generated. It’s continuing to track as 2023’s top device by both metrics.
Intriguingly, even during a month in which a new Mario launched, Xbox Series X|S earned 2nd place on dollar sales, while Nintendo Switch was the runner up by units. I’d imagine that’s partially because of a higher selling price for Xbox, and Switch sales are mostly double dips, Mario red OLED versions or purchases for kids as its audience is firmly saturated.
Similar to the movement of their overall category, all of the three big console families saw double-digit spending declines in October.
In addition to the monthly figures, Circana also provided a quick update on where lifetime figures are for the current generation consoles. Which have now been on market for nearly three years! PlayStation 5 is currently 9% above the PlayStation 4, while the Xbox Series X|S family is tracking behind Xbox One by 11%. Makes sense, given the dichotomy between each company’s approach.
Within our final category of Video Game Accessories, spending last month lowered 2% to $147 million. The most modest of declines compared to its counterparts.
Through October, buyers have purchased $1.75 billion worth of Accessories, or 1% higher than the same time frame in 2022.
October’s top earning peripheral was Sony’s PlayStation 5 DualSense in midnight black. I was expecting that the Marvel’s Spider Man 2 Limited Edition controller might win again, as it did in September, though this result is probably more about limited supply than consumer sentiment.
I’ll confirm with Circana on the current annual best seller, which I believe is still the premium tier PlayStation 5 DualSense Edge based on just how much revenue it generates per sale alone.
Now, what about the Meta Quest 3? Didn’t it launch in mid-October?
It did. However, it wouldn’t be included in this particular industry report. Circana confirmed that Meta Quest headset spending isn’t considered gaming for their tracking purposes. Rather, it’s a “a multi-function device.” Which means that Circana’s Technology group reports on Meta Quest.
Compare that to something more streamlined for gaming like PlayStation VR 2, which is included. Even if it remains a somewhat small portion of the pie.
This treatment truly affects the Accessories numbers because Meta Quest has proven to have the most widespread appeal of any augmented or virtual reality device across the consumer space.
Before I recap and shift to predictions, here’s an added bonus: Circana’s new engagement rankings by platform! As part of its public report, the company is now sharing the most played titles across PlayStation, Xbox and Valve Corporation’s Steam digital marketplace for PC titles. Here’s a look at those, in order of Monthly Active Users (MAUs).
During October, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Fortnite and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 were the most-played on PlayStation. When it came to Xbox, it’s the same top 2 games then Grand Theft Auto V reached third. Counter-Strike 2, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 were the most played on Steam. Other standouts included Roblox starting in 4th on PlayStation, Forza Motorsport zooming to 7th on Xbox and The Finals beta landing it in 4th on Steam.
While October’s total spend declined, there’s a clear reason for it and it won’t really impact 2023’s overall result other than shifting spending on Call of Duty to November. Separate of that, which is a purely hypothetical scenario of course, I’d bet October spending would have grown against last year, especially within Content.
On social media, Piscatella mentioned Hardware in particular didn’t have a surprising result, although he believe it was below that which the platform holders expected. He anticipates more discounting and promotion in the coming months. Plus, he’s becoming more cautious on his annual forecast of 3% spending growth in 2023.
Speaking of looking ahead, I’m looking at spending gains in November driven by what I expect to be the biggest seller in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
Even with lackluster reviews, it’s still the single most popular gaming brand in the country. It will catapult up the annual chart to become 2023’s best seller, maybe even in November’s report. I expect yet another year where two Call of Duty titles end up in the Top 10.
Now that October is behind us, the release slate is slowing down considerably. There’s a couple niche Nintendo titles in WarioWare: Move it! and Super Mario RPG remake, both of which will end up charting, the latter having more upside into possibly the Top 7. Otherwise, I think Sega’s Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name can surprise, reaching a Top 15 start. There’s also Robocop: Rogue City which garnered more critical appeal than anyone ever thought it would. Why not, let’s say it gets a Top 20 start!
It’s a key time for Hardware approaching the November pre-holiday and the Black Friday period here in the States. I expect a comparable dynamic as October where PlayStation 5 will lead on revenue and units, with Xbox in second by dollars and Switch by units. Especially given the new PlayStation 5 model is now on sale, just in time for shopping sprees to begin.
This is where I recommend hopping over to Piscatella’s Twitter thread for further details and a complete rundown of those spankin’ new engagement lists.
I remain eternally thankful you are checking out the site! Stay well as the holiday season approaches.
Note: Comparisons are year-over-year unless otherwise noted.
*Digital Sales Not Included
^Xbox & Nintendo Digital Sales Not Included
Sources: Circana, Nintendo, PlayStation Blog, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ubisoft Entertainment.
-Dom